Table 5 Comparison of the models’ advantages and challenges

Advantages

Investigates future demographic changes

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Easy estimation

*

*

Considers regional population distribution

*

*

*

Considers population age and sex composition

*

*

*

*

*

Estimates bed requirements by the type of clinical specialties

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Considers trends in hospital service utilization

*

*

*

*

Considers performance and efficiency of hospital

*

Accounts for patient migration

*

*

*

Considers medical and technological advances

*

*

Considers care models and standards

*

*

Considers emergency cases and future trends

*

Considers various scenarios

*

*

*

*

Considers seasonal effects

*

Easy to use

*

A software is available

*

challenges

Requires accurate and comprehensive data

*

Difficulty of demographic predictions

NA

NA

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

NA

*

Difficulty of predicting patterns of hospital service utilization

*

*

*

*

Does not account for policy changes overtimes

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Overestimation of required bed numbers

*

*

Difficulty of mapping scenarios

NA

*

*

*

*

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Does not assign weightings to the parameters

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Needs a simulation software

*